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Makerspaces foster creative collaborations 

Three area makerspaces make learning how to use a new tool, developing a new skill, or getting involved with a new project easy and convenient. Whether you’re a beginner seamstress or a veteran engineer, makerspaces offer safe and collaborative creative environments.

“We’ve seen the maker movement have a true economic impact in communities around the country,” says Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, who helped bring Make Santa Fe to the City Different. “We know a makerspace is one of the key ingredients in fostering a positive entrepreneurial environment, manifesting creative business opportunities, and keeping pace with developing technologies.” Make Santa Fe is located at 1352 Rufina Circle and, according to its website, is “like a gym but with powerful tools instead of exercise equipment and skilled craftspeople instead of personal trainers.”

Here in Los Alamos, Los Alamos Makers opened on Orange Street in June 2016. “Students, hobbyists, retirees, and budding entrepreneurs come together to learn new skills, volunteer their skills, start a project, and collaborate,” says founder Prisca Tiasse. “From sewing to art, computer programming, 3D printing or even biology, a diverse set of skills is represented.”

Farther east, Las Vegas’s Parachute Factory shares the same vision and boasts tools such as a laser cutter and 3D printers.  Sounds like the perfect place to spend the waning days of summer vacation.

"Make Santa Fe provides a community resource of shared tools, a dynamic meeting point for people interested in everything from robotics to quilting and is proving to be an epicenter for unexpected and inspiring inventiveness," says founding member Zane Fischer.